


Destined to Stay

by Bizjube



Series: Marksleys and their Walters [1]
Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Dragon!Steve Negrete, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, Please Don't Kill Me, Portals, Red Matter, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Steam Powered Giraffe (Band), Vietnam War, Yellow Matter, Yellow Portals, green matter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 00:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15545910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bizjube/pseuds/Bizjube
Summary: Adrianne Marksley is desparate to find her missing memories. The Spine holds the key.





	1. Out in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrianne wakes up from a nightmare and remembers something.

Lightning cracked outside of her window, and Adrianne shot forward. The scream died on her lips, and as quickly as it came, the panic left her. She slumped forward and propped her head up in her hands. She tried to steady her breathing.   
_“It’s just a dream,”_ her brother’s voice reverberated through her mind, _“The war is over.”_  
Adrianne didn’t bother responding. She instead listened to the harsh drumming of the rain on the roof, and watched the droplets attack the dimly lit street. Something was different about her dream. She typically could hold on to a smell for a few minutes after waking up, and she could sometimes catch fragments of conversation, but she had never managed to keep an image.   
It wasn't much. All she had this time were a pair of emerald eyes, glowing in darkness. They had been watching her sleep. At first she thought they were the eyes of the “corrupted adversary” Aunt Maureen had told her to watch out for, but no. These eyes made her feel safe, and happy. They reminded her of the times before her life went to hell.  
Lightning cracked again, but much closer. The glasses on her nightstand rattled loudly, and she reached out to steady them. Adrianne grabbed her drawing pad and sketched out the eyes and what she felt would be the face of whoever was in her dream. She sighed as she observed her finished work. The face was familiar and a warm feeling pooled in her chest.  
Adrianne slid out of her bed, and lit a cigarette. The nicotine did nothing for her anymore, but she liked the familiarity of something foreign in her lungs. A tree across the street had split. Half of it was in the road, and the other half was still standing. She chuckled as her neighbor ran out into his yard, clad in only a bathrobe in slippers, to survey the damage.  
_“You should at least try to get some sleep,”_ Alex said.  
_“I’ll meet you at the usual spot tomorrow at noon. I have something.”_  
Adrianne could feel her brother’s discontent through the connection, but she didn’t care. No matter how many times she found a dead end, she would always keep searching for her missing memories.   
Two years were gone. According to Alex, the year before they fought, the four months they did fight, and then the eight months after that was completely gone. He said she had joined after he was drafted, and had been shot. He never said where, he never said anything except for the fact that she was shot.  
It would take about a week, but she could convince Peter to keep her around as an “old family friend.” It had been a bit over thirty years since they had last spoken, but time was a funny thing for her. He had a curse that she too shared, curiosity, and if she fed him the right information she would have him wrapped around her finger again. It was cruel, yes, but fifty years is more than enough time to learn a way around guilt.  
She was sure her lead would be nothing but a dead end, but optimism was the one thing she kept from her old life.  
The next day the siblings met in a small coffee shop. Over the years they had silently decided that this is where they would always meet. It had once been connected to a shoe shop, but it had been long since turned into a bookstore. It was a nice place to sit and wait for NASA to send someone else into space to die.  
Alex was, as usual, an hour late. It had been annoying the first time he did it, since he could teleport himself anywhere on Earth instantly, but Adrianne had grown used to her twin’s shenanigans.   
He sat down across from her and handed her a small glowing red rock, which she placed in her coat pocket.   
“Are you sure about this?” Alex asked her. Adrianne’s eyes flashed gold.   
“I’m more certain than anything. It’s been twenty years of nothing, this has to be the end.”   
“I’m going with you this time.” Alex said.  
“What? No, this is my problem, not yours.”  
“A, you’re getting reckless. You can’t just take a bullet to the face anymore. You got lucky the second time.”  
“Fine, but keep your distance. I still have that potato gun and I’m pretty sure you can’t just take a potato to the face.” Adrianne threatened.  
“It’s a deal.”


	2. Must've Been a Sign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrianne moves in and gets cookies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments. It's what keeps me going!

The five minute walk from what was formerly known as “McSquiggs Ice Cream Funland” to Walter Manor was perfect. Buying the property had also been perfect. A fake name and life could do wonders in this world.  
The story of how the Walter family came to inherit such a place was so confusing and outrageous that Athena had started a corkboard map for it. There never really appeared to be an excessive number of cats, but there was evidence of a few, and no way for there to have been ice cream in it in the first place. There were no cooling devices in which to keep the frozen treat.   
_“Y’know, we could always put some freezers in. Owning an ice cream shop wouldn’t be that bad.”_ Alex suggested. Athena shook her head and watched three men put new flooring in one of the rooms.   
_“We don’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves. That being said, I want to restore this property to its former glory, complete the mission, and get the hell out of San Diego.”_ She said.  
Athena liked vintage buildings, and the beautiful architecture of her new home was a work of art. She just needed it to be livable before making any cosmetic repairs. Putting new floor in, replacing some of the bloodstained walls, and getting some basic appliances and stairs installed. Oh, and there was no door.  
A knock echoed through the building. A tall man wearing a keyhole mask stood awkwardly in the doorway holding a tupperware container. He was flanked by a robot, and an older, kind faced woman.   
“Oh, hello there! You must be my new neighbors!” Athena said. She put on her show-stopping smile and gestured for the group to enter.  
“Yes, we live just down the street from you dear. I’m Annie, and this is my son, Peter.” The woman held out her hand, and Athena took it eagerly.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Athena.” She replied.   
“And I’m R-Rabbit!” The robot said loudly, startling one of the men putting in the floor, causing him to fall through the gaping hole in the middle of the room. Athena found it hard to keep a straight face with her brother howling with laughter in her head.  
Athena shook Rabbit’s hand, unbothered by her bone-crushing grip. Annie nudged Peter who held out the tupperware container.   
“These are for you. They’re cookies. They’re separated by who made them, and labelled.” He said, his voice getting quieter with every word. Athena took the container, and thanked him.  
“Do you all want tea? I have an excessive amount and all sorts of flavors.”   
Annie nodded politely and sat down on one of the couches. Peter followed suit, but Rabbit bounced around, looking at the newly assembled room. Athena returned from the kitchen with a tea tray balanced in one hand. Assorted teas and cups accompanied by sugars and creams balanced the tray.  
“Use whatever you want, I’m not much of a tea person.” Athena explained.  
“Ah, my husband isn’t a fan either. We were both wary as to who would buy this property, but you seem like a sweet young lady. All my husband kept saying after his chat with you was how polite you were.” Annie said. Athena hid a smirk.  
“Oh, I’m not that polite. I just treat people as they should be treated.” Athena said.   
“Oh l-l-look! You’re putting in a new floor in here! You know, when we spent the night in here, this was the Spine’s room! And so was this one!” Rabbit called from the hallway. Her heavy footsteps echoed as she bolted form one room to another.  
“That’s admirable,” Annie said, “Most people are terribly rude.”  
Peter nodded in agreement, “Especially toward the automatons. It’s gotten better over the years, but The Spine is still hesitant to let Rabbit and Zer0 out in public.”  
Athena’s fingernails bit into her palms. The Spine’s name sent a flood of incomplete feelings through her mind.  
“That’s awful. I know the capabilities that blue-matter powered automatons have, and they’ve certainly got more humanity than most of us.”   
“Oh? Do you have any experience working with other automatons?” Peter asked, leaning forward slightly.  
“Not working with them, per se. I used to know a few, but that was... ages ago.” Athena said. Her eyes glazed over, and a wistful look came upon her face.  
“That’s a shame. We could always use more Walter Workers.” Peter said, earning a sharp elbow to the ribs from his mother.  
“What my son _means_ to say is that if you are interested, we’d love to have you over sometime to learn about our metal family members.” Annie corrected. Athena nodded, breaking out of her reverie and smiling.  
“I’d love that. I’m free most afternoons, what time do you think would be best?” She asked.   
“T-T-Two PM on Tuesdays! For tacos!” Rabbit suggested. A dented spoon hung out of her mouth, and she chewed on it eagerly. She had wandered back in with a bucket of ice cream under her arm. Where she got it, Athena had no idea.  
_“Taco Tuesday? Can I come?”_ Alex asked.   
_“No, you weren’t invited.” _  
“I’ll be there. Should I bring anything?”   
“No dear, just yourself.” Annie said, standing up. Peter stood up with her, his cup of chamomile nearly untouched.  
“We must be getting home. It was lovely meeting you, Athena.” Annie said.  
“It was lovely meeting you as well. I’ll see you on Tuesday!” Athena called as Peter pushed Rabbit through the doorway. Athena really needed a door.  
Once the Walters had exited Athena’s sight, she collapsed on the couch with a sigh. Blood dripped down her hands as she examined the crescent cuts.   
_“Ground control to Major Adrianne, you okay?”_ Alex asked.  
 _“Yeah, just… confused.”_   
_“About?”_  
Athena’s eyebrows knitted together. She hadn’t been aware that she was hurting herself, and the reason why her response was to do so was unknown.  
 _“I’ve found my target, and I’m reacting weirdly to it.”_  
Five minutes later, Athena was helping the floor man out of the   
basement, and serving him copious amounts of tea. Her hands were blemish free, but the edges of her sleeves tinged pink.__


	3. Actions and Beings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEX MAAAAARKSLEEEY

She held on to his waist for dear life, pressing her face in between his shoulder blades. The wind ripped through her hair, undoing the tight bun her mother had worked so hard to pin. The smooth scent of his musky cologne filled her nostrils. This, she thought, was what home smelled like.   
The wind died down, and her companion pulled into one of the empty parking spaces that lined the diner. She slowly unwound her arms, and fixed the wisps of dark hair that were so cruelly removed from her bun.   
Her heels clacked on the pavement, accompanied by his thick leather boots. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him adjust his hat, and straighten his jacket. He held the door open for her, as any gentleman is bound to do, and she smiled up at him. His pristine white grin shone back at her.  
Both of them came by the diner often to discuss invention and other things young ladies should have no business with. Both ordered malts, strawberry and chocolate, and a side of fries for them to share.   
At a distance they could be perceived as lovers. A closer look proved them to be something along the lines of siblings, and while the sentiment was nice, he was far too old for her to be his sister. He was older than every living resident of the city. To never age was both a blessing and a curse.  
This day was important, and one could say that this is the beginning of our story. Not the beginning of the timeline, but the beginning of the story. The timeline will continue later.

March 27th 1961-Roswell, NM

“What do you think all those government trucks were for, Adrianne?” Her companion said.   
“Hell if I know. They don’t seem to stop coming, do they?” She replied.  
“Dead aliens for the government to experiment on, maybe?”   
The corners of her lips turned upward, and her eyes widened.   
“Maybe, but what if they are humans being injected with alien DNA? Maybe they’re just hosts for a superior race come to decimate us!” She said. The man leaned over and returned her mischievous grin.  
“Maybe they’re food to feed the little alien children!” He whispered excitedly.  
“Maybe they’re food AND hosts!”  
“Maybe they’re vampires, looking to grow their numbers?”  
“How would we defeat them? The alien vampires.”  
The man leaned back, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he thought. He straightened, is eyes glittering.  
“Maybe a good rocket to the face, but what if we figured out a way to shoot yellow matter and suck them into a different dimension!”   
“Yes! What if we looped the portals and made a kind of generator to harness the energy the loops created!”  
“We could power the entire city with falling vampires!”  
“We could power the entire state if we just-”  
Gunshots rang through the diner, and the man’s hand flew to his own gun at his hip.   
“STAY STILL UNLESS YOU WANNA EAT BULLETS.” A masked man said, grabbing ahold of a young girl by her curly blond pigtails.   
“GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY OR I’LL BLOW HER BRAINS OUT.”  
Adrianne’s companion stood up slowly.   
“Now listen here partner, we don’t want no fuss. Just put the girl down and you can be on your way.” He said. The man pressed the barrel of his gun against the girl’s head. Her mother sobbed from the corner.   
“I SAID DON’T MOVE!” The masked man said.   
Alex, send the police to the diner. Robbery. He’s got a gun and a hostage.  
Oh, and I’m about to do something incredibly stupid.   
A shatter came from behind the masked man, and he whirled around. He pointed his gun and shot, and then was shot himself.   
Four times.  
The masked man fell, and Adrianne stood shocked. Her hand flew up to her abdomen, covering the blood stain blossoming from her body.   
“Adrianne.” Her companion choked out, flying to her side as she crumpled to the ground.   
“Oh fuck, I’ve been shot.” She said, looking down at her wound in bewilderment. Her companion nodded, gathering her and her incredibly impractical skirt in his arms. He ran out of the diner and down the street, ducking into an alley and setting her down on a curb.  
“What were you thinking? You could’ve gotten yourself killed!”  
“But I didn’t.” Adrianne said, and then winced. The bloody bullet slowly pushed itself out of her body. She bit her lip, but kept watching their surroundings for any witnesses despite the pain.  
“Here we go.” He said, pocketing the bullet. Her wound began the process of sealing itself up, and within five minutes the only evidence of her being shot was the blood on her clothes.   
“Hey, Rex? Can a borrow your jacket? I don’t think I want to be seen covered in blood.” She asked. Her companion shrugged off his jacket, still thoroughly miffed about her being shot in the first place. She hadn’t been this seriously hurt before. A bullet could do a lot of damage for someone her age.  
Especially considering the Gift took hold in different ways.   
“How could you be so careless?” Rex asked.  
“He was going to shoot that girl. She couldn’t survive a bullet to the head and I could survive a bullet the the side. It was the best way to make sure no one was hurt.”  
“You were! You didn’t even know if the gift would work like your brother’s.” he said, walking back into the sunlight.   
“It was a chance worth taking.” Adrianne struggled to keep up with his long legs.   
“What if you bled out? What if the wound got infected and you died? What then?”  
“Okay, I know for a fact that you were trying to get that bastard to shoot you. How is that any different?”   
Rex stopped and grabbed ahold of her shoulders.   
“I know I could’ve survived it. And if I didn’t then I’ve lived a good, long life. I’m far past my time. You are hardly fifteen. What would I say to Delilah? What would I say to Alex? Do you think I could look him in the eye and tell him his sister died because she took a bullet that should’ve been for me?”  
“No, I’d expect you to tell him that I died saving a little girl from a fate she doesn’t even understand yet.” Adrianne said coolly.  
Rex searched her eyes for any sort of guilt, but was met with steely resolve. He exhaled and shook his head slowly, pulling her into a suffocating hug.  
“I love you so much. I don’t want to lose you.” He said.  
“I love you too, and I’m sorry for scaring you.”  
“You did what you had to. I’m proud.”   
They stood there on the sidewalk for a while, wrapped in each others arms and not caring who might see them. Another government truck drove past, and a glint of metal caught Adrianne’s eye.   
“Hey Rex, you don’t think the alien vampires are going to build a rocket ship to go back home, do you?”  
“I hope not. Someone has to tell us how to get to the moon first. Some people in this god-forsaken place still think that Earth is flat!” He said.   
Adrianne tilted her head, and as she opened her mouth to say something else, a slow and long whistle pierced the air.   
“Damn, Adrianne. Did you see the pool of blood you made back there? The poor police are going to think someone was murdered.”  
Alex stood a few feet behind the duo, hands in his pockets and a wild grin on his face. He nodded to Rex respectfully, and held out his arm. Adrianne looped her arm around his and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.  
“Oh, haven’t you heard?”  
“Oh be quiet. You’re gonna nag me all the way home, I just know it. You need any help with the police, Abuelo?” Alex asked. Rex shook his head.  
“Nah, I got it kid. You take care of Adrianne, since she can’t go anywhere without causing trouble.” He said.  
“Yessir. C’mon A, you get to explain to Mom why there’s blood on your new clothes.” Alex said, leading a suddenly exhausted Adrianne away. Her hand flew up in a weak wave at Rex, and put all of her weight on her brother. They walked down the street slowly, and Rex watched as Alex’s blue convertible bumbled out of sight.  
Rex turned to face the tall shadow on the wall.   
“I’ve just cursed her, haven’t I?” Rex asked. The shadow, which wasn’t attached to anything, nodded.   
“You’re not going to let me die, are you?”   
A small crescent of sunlight permeated the shadow. It was grinning. The shadow then faded away, leaving Rex to walk alone back to the diner and retrieve his motorcycle. He had hoped to make it another five years before the need to leave became greater than the need to stay. Nonetheless, his grandchildren would warn the family of the incident and they’d begin packing up to move. Florida was the next place to be, and Julian happened to mention a moon landing sometime soon. The kids would be excited to hear about that.

* * *

“Rabbit, what’s with all this traffic?”  
“Looks like something happened at this cute little d-d-diner over here. There’s p-p-police everywhere!”  
“That’s unfortunate. I hope everyone’s okay.”  
“You d-d-don’t think it could be aliens, could it?”  
“I don’t think so, Rabbit.”  
“That’s a shame. Fighting aliens sounds cool!”  
“That it does.”  
…  
“Hey Spine?”  
“Yes Rabbit?”   
“Look at that g-g-girl!”  
“Which one.”  
“That one. She’s hugging a cowboy.”  
“That’s unfortunate.”  
“Your face is unfortunate. Did you see her eyes?”  
“No Rabbit, I did not see her eyes.”  
“They were glowing gold, Spine!”  
“Of course they were, Rabbit.”


	4. Apple Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taco Tuesday! Also, there is a lot of foul language that occurs when Adrianne and Alex talk.

_“So I’m sitting there, barbecue sauce on my titties, and I start eating these cookies, right?”_ Athena said as she heelied down the sidewalk.  
_“For the love of fuck, can you please get on with your story? You’ve said titties ten times in the past two minutes.”_ Alex groaned.  
_“Yeah yeah, but I’m sampling one of each bag, and OH MY GOD they taste like burnt ass.”_  
_“How do you know what burnt ass tastes like, A?”_  
_“But then I eat this one from The Spine’s bag and I SHIT YOU NOT they taste JUST LIKE the snickerdoodle ones I make all the damn time!”_  
_“Maybe they like cookbooks and you two use the same recipe.”_  
_“EXCEPT I MADE THAT GODDAMN RECIPE MYSELF!”_ Athena screeched, zooming past an elderly woman crossing the street..  
_“Okay okay, jeez, I get it. You’re being stalked by a robot and they want to earn your favor by making those delicious, mouth-watering cookies. Go figure.”_ Alex said. The pop of a soda can opening resonated through their heads.  
_“Shut up Alex, I’m here now.”_  
Athena peered through the gaping doorway. Apparently the lack of doors was normal around here. Thankfully, she didn’t have to knock.  
“Hiya Athena! S-S-So glad you’re here! I’ve been telling everyone all about you!” Rabbit said, drawing out the “a” in “all” and getting louder as she did so. She grabbed Athena’s wrist and pulled her inside, leading her human companion through the winding hallways.   
“- And that’s a picture of Spine when he was a young g-g-girl!” Rabbit pointed out a framed picture of a magazine clipping with a picture of a robotic head crudely pasted on. Athena stifled a giggle.   
“He looks very lovely.”   
“So do you!” Rabbit said with a wink.  
_“Whoever said robot love isn’t dead?”_ Alex said.  
_“Shut up.”_  
The smell of tacos hit Athena like a sack of bricks. Her mouth started watering like a fountain and she had to force herself not to drool. She couldn’t remember the trip up the stairs to the top of the Tower of Tacos because her mind was preoccupied with the thought of delicious tacos.  
Rabbit stopped suddenly, and Athena bumped into her. It felt like the equivalent of running into a large metal wall at full speed (which she had once done on a dare.) Rabbit gestured to the doorless opening and smiled.   
“Ta-Da! Welcome to the T-T-Tower of Tacos!” Rabbit announced. She shoved Athena through the doorway, since her shock left her nearly immobile. Athena had seen a lot of crazy and insane things in her life, but never did she think she’d live to see an entire room dedicated to the celebration and eating of tacos. Just hard tacos, however, and she found out seconds later when mentioning her sensitive gums.  
“No! Soft tacos are OBVIOUSLY burritos who feel left out!” Another robot said. He looked like a teddy bear that had been made out of several different teddy bear pieces. He would’ve been a fantastic cuddle buddy if he weren’t made of metal.  
“Do walking tacos count then or are they just salads?” Athena asked.  
“Now, Miss Trevor, don’t disrespect the walking taco. They belong here just like every other taco.” Another bot said. He was more than a head taller than she was, and completely silver.  
No. Titanium. This must be The Spine.  
“Ah, my mistake. You must be The Spine.” Athena said, curtsying. The Spine bowed and kissed the top of her hand. A small spark of electricity met her skin before his lips did, but neither of them could really feel it.   
“I am. This is Zer0, and you’ve already met Rabbit.” The Spine said, nodding to the two other bots who seemed to be deep in discussion about whether socks were more practical than foot gloves… whatever those were.  
“I have,” Athena said, “And I’m very glad I did. I think if I had met all three of you in one day my head would roll off my shoulders and under a table.”  
The Spine frowned at the thought, but correctly decided it was a figure of speech and said nothing. Rabbit pushed a taco over to Athena and rattled excitedly.   
“Eat! There’s an infinite amount of t-tacos!” She said. Athena bit in to the crunchy taco, and winced when a piece of shell scraped against her gums. To say the least, it was the best damn taco she had ever eaten and had decided that she wanted to move in permanently.  
“Oh, there you are Athena! I wondered where Rabbit could’ve put you!” Peter said.  
It took Athena less than 0.2 seconds to realize she was seeing something she wasn’t supposed to and 0.5 seconds to realize it was Peter’s face. Or rather, she was looking at the lack of one.   
“Oh, yes! I’m just eating tacos!” She said, holding up her taco as proof.   
“Good! Do you mind if I borrow you for a minute?” He asked politely.  
“Not at all!” She handed her half-eaten taco to Zer0, who shoved it in his mouth immediately.  
“I have something I want your opinion on.” Peter said excitedly once the two were out in the hall.   
“Oh? Well I’m not sure how I could possibly help but-” Athena cut herself off with a gasp. She had just entered one of the many plot-device rooms to find herself standing in a workshop. On one of the tables was a golden lion so realistic that if Athena didn’t know any better she would’ve thought it was alive.  
But it wasn't. It’s eyes were dim and there were wires protruding from its chest where a core would be.   
“Oh it’s beautiful!”  
“Isn’t it? I found it in one of the labs deep within the manor.”  
“I assume this is what you need my opinion on?”   
Peter nodded.  
“What core should I use to power this lion?” he asked. The lion wasn't human, so a pure form of blue matter wouldn’t be right. It might be around humans, so green wouldn’t fit. Red most likely would lead to the poor thing self-destructing, so that left Athena with-  
“Purple. It encompasses the spirit of its host.”  
Peter cringed.  
“That’s how we got Lil Steve.”  
“I know, but Lil Steve has “Lil Penis” syndrome.” Athena said nonchalantly. Peter’s hand flew to his mouth in shock, or at least it would have if he had a face.  
“The lion already is a big cat, so you should have no problems except for it thinking it is a lapdog.”  
“Oh. My. God.” Peter whispered. Athena tilted her head to the side.  
“What? Was it because I said penis?” Athena asked.  
“No! I mean, yeah kind of.” He said.  
“I have no problem with anatomic references used for humor, as my humor is mostly made of such. If you have a problem with it I’ll stop.”  
“No no, it’s fine.”  
“Is there anything else you wanted Peter?” she asked.  
“No, that was it. Thank you.”   
Athena bowed her head and exited the room.


	5. Wonder if it's Painful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, another Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from Prelude to a Dream.

June 5th, 1962 - Cape Canaveral Florida

“Adrianne, wait up!”Alex said. He was thoroughly out of breath from running after his reckless twin, who had disappeared into a sea of people. Well, it was more like a mildly busy street, but Alex had left his glasses at home so it felt like there were far more moving objects than there actually were. He watched as a vaguely sister-shaped mass disappear into a coffee shop with a bookstore attached. Well, at least it LOOKED like a bookstore. Alex couldn’t really tell.  
But what Alex can and cannot see isn’t all that important right now…

“Adrianne, wait up!”  
Adrianne, being the little shit she is, ignored her brother and dove into a coffee shop attached to a shoe store. Why that existed, she had no idea.  
She browsed the shoes quickly before a voice caught her attention.  
“-But I sincerely think the blue matter core acts more like a soul. I mean, for as robotic as they are, they each have their own pieces of humanity in them.”  
Adrianne poked her head up and watched as a well dressed man, spoke into a telephone with passion. He was a marine, from the looks of it, and had one of the largest cups of coffee in his hand that she had ever seen. He was kind of cute, and Adrianne kind of wished she was just a bit older.  
“There you are! God, don’t you know how dangerous it is for girls to just run off like that?”   
Adrianne hushed her brother and nodded towards the man on the phone.  
“He’s talking about blue matter. Is that like what we have?” She asked. Alex’s mouth hung open and he nodded, not taking his eyes off of the man.   
“I might have bad eyesight, but he is cute!” Alex cried. Adrianne rolled her eyes.  
“Yes, but what you can’t see is how much older he is. He is at LEAST 25.”  
Alex scrunched his nose. “Well that sucks.”  
The man hung up, and turned around before freezing. He looked between the twins for nearly a minute before smiling and waving awkwardly.  
_Oh my god, is that-_  
_Commander Walter._  
Adrianne hurried over to him, dragging Alex along with her. Her cousin was going to freak out if he knew she met his hero.  
“Hello sir! I’m Adrianne and this is my brother, Alex. I was wondering if you could explain what that stuff you were talking about is. Y’know, blue matter?” She asked, keeping her grip on Alex’s wrist iron-tight. The man looked surprised she was interested, yet mildly disturbed she was eavesdropping.   
“Hey, I’m Peter. I’d be happy to explain blue matter to you.” Peter replied. He and the twins sat down in the coffee shop, and he ran his hand through his fluffy hair.   
“Blue matter is the stuff that binds reality together. Back in the late 1800s, it could be mined in Africa, but the mines have been closed down since then. When used incorrectly it could tear holes in the universe and create portals.” Peter said.   
“Huh. Are there any other colors of matter?” Alex asked, rubbing his swollen wrist thoughtfully.  
“Yes, there’s green matter, but it’s very unstable and dangerous.”   
The twins looked at each other, and then asked in unison, “What about yellow matter?”  
Peter cocked an eyebrow and looked puzzled.  
“I’ve never heard of it. Does it exist?” He asked. The twins nodded, and Adrianne nudged her brother. Alex held open his palm, and sparks of gold flew a few inches upward before dissipating. Peter’s eyes widened, and his face broke into a grin.  
“Oh my god, now THAT is awesome!” He said. He leaned forward, his eyes glittering mischievously.   
I’ll tell you what, come find me after I get back. This could be a groundbreaking discovery! Oh, you both would be gods in the science world!” He said.  
“Where are you going?” Adrianne asked. Peter beamed at her.  
“Space, of course! I leave today at noon.” he said.  
“Well I’d hurry, ‘cause noon is a few hours from now.” Alex said. Peter glanced at his watch and stood up quickly.  
“Shit! I gotta go kids. Stay safe! I’ll see you in a week!”

The walk home was full of excitement. The twins laughed and giggled at what science gods would be like. Fifteen was a good age to get started building an empire, Alex thought.  
“You know what though? Aunt Maureen was right.” Adrianne said, referring to their aunt who had gained the ability to see glimpses of the future.  
“What do you mean?”  
“She said we’d meet someone important.”  
“She also said that ‘metal snakes provide the best warmth.’ No offense to her, but she’s a nutcase.” Alex mocked.  
“Yeah, but she was right though.” Adrianne said. She opened the front gates of her home, and was greeted by a chorus of family announcing to the rest of the Marksley clan that they had returned. 

June 6th, 1962 - Cape Canaveral, Florida. 1:oo AM  
Adrianne had felt the explosion. Every hair on her body stood on end, and searing white light passed before her eyes. It was gone faster than it had arrived, and left her reeling from the experience.   
“Fire creates the ashes from which something new is born.” Her aunt called from the doorway of Adrianne’s bedroom. Her white hair glowed blue in the moonlight. Her eyes were milky, and her voice hoarse. It was no surprise when she died later that morning, leaving her last words to echo through her niece’s mind for decades.


	6. Well, Hello There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bit more information on Athena, and some smoopy smoop with Six. 
> 
> Don't worry, she knows what she's doing.
> 
> Not really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Only Human

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Athena shot up, her hand flying underneath her pillow in search of the comforting feel of cool metal. 

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Breathe.

Athena stalked towards the door, pistol in hand. Her footsteps were hardly there, and she nearly floated across the floor. The fog of sleep, although thin, was still wrapped around her brain. It didn’t start to unravel until she opened the door as Peter was about to knock again. Her pistol quickly disappeared behind her before Peter could see it, tucking it away in the waistband of her pajama pants.   
“Athena, hi. I was wondering if you could help me with the lion.” He asked, not quite aware that he had woken her up. She stepped out of her home and gestured for Peter to lead her to Walter Manor staying safely silent, as she didn’t trust her voice after the nightmare she had.  
Athena yawned as Peter ranted on to her about what exactly he needed help with, and what he had already tried. The floors of Walter Manor were cold against her bare feet, which was helping to wake her up. Peter led her deep into the bowels of the manor, following a vaguely familiar path to a room with the golden lion on a table. A chunk of purple matter glowed in the middle of the lion’s chest, but didn’t appear to be doing anything.  
“I was wondering if you could help me figure out how to get it to work, since you’re more of an expert with this particular matter than I am.” Peter said. Athena circled the lion and got closer to the failed attempt at a core.   
“You’re treating purple matter as if it is its own matter, but really it’s just red and blue fused together. Like green matter.”  
“W-What?”  
“Green matter is just blue matter and yellow matter that bonded to become a new thing. It’s just chemistry.” Athena said, as if that explained everything. Peter pulled up a chair and rested his elbows between Athena’s legs. His hands absentmindedly played with his mask, pushing it up a bit in the process.  
“No no, yellow matter. What’s that?” He asked.   
“It’s like… shiny. It’s more like gold matter, but that's too fancy of a name. It adheres to a human soul really easily, unlike other matters. Once it does it won’t react with any other matter unless under extreme pressure.” She said. “Hey, didn’t I already tell you this?”   
“No, I’d definitely remember if you did.” Peter said.  
“Huh. I’m getting a weird sense of Deja-vu.”  
“Okay, but what does yellow matter do? How does it adhere to a soul?”  
“It just does. It can be passed on from person to person, but sometimes it wears off. Sometimes it can stay with a human their entire life. It just depends on how you got it and who gave it to you. I accidentally gave some of mine to your mom two weeks ago. Thankfully, it didn’t stick with her. Damn tea, always giving people particles of shit they don’t understand.” Athena said.  
“Wait, you bonded with yellow matter?” Peter asked, leaning forward excitedly.  
“I mean, yeah. You said it yourself, I look young for 32. It slows the aging process, and can stop it entirely if it’s a strong enough bond.” Athena replied, sitting up. Peter looked like he was going to explode.  
“So, hypothetically, you can get yellow matter to… bond with me?” he said, leaning closer to Athena.   
“There’s nothing hypothetical about it, you’d just have... to... ask.” Athena realized how close Peter’s face had gotten to hers, and for a brief moment Athena thought he was going to kiss her.   
“Oh, nice. I wake up to you and ANOTHER Walter kissing. You’re becoming too predictable sis.” Avery said. Athena drew away from Peter, and he mimicked the motion.  
“S-So, uh…” Peter cleared his throat, “Yellow matter.”  
Athena laughed nervously.  
“Yeah. Like I said, it likes to bond with conscious beings. My family always called it “The Gift” because it reacts differently for each person. My aunt had the gift of prophecy, while my brother and I basically can’t age.”  
“So you’re immortal?” Peter asked.  
“Yes, but we’re not immune to anything. We can still be killed.”  
Peter started to write down what she was saying.  
“Why haven’t you come forward with this information?”   
“Too many variables. My family doesn’t like it when more people know than necessary.”  
“You’re telling me, though.”  
“My family doesn’t like me either.”  
“I can’t believe it. This is groundbreaking!” Peter ran his fingers through his hair. Athena chuckled at his disbelief.  
“Yep, and green matter bonds to just about anything, which is why it’s so dangerous.”  
“Holy shit. This is groundbreaking! This could revolutionize the world as we know it!”  
“Maybe, maybe not. My cousin likes to use green matter to blow up stars, so maybe telling people that it bonds with stuff like our ordinary elements is a bad idea.” Athena said, hopping off of the table and circling the lion once again.  
“I think if you stuck blue and red matter generators together, this lion could be a really awesome pet.”Athena added.  
“I agree. If I get it to work, do you want it? I don’t think Marshmallow would enjoy another cat in the house.”  
“Not if, when. I’d be glad to have this gorgeous girl be mine. Thank you.” Athena said. Peter stuck his hands in his pockets and smiled.   
“If you ever want to make something of your own, feel free to ask. We have plenty of half-finished scraps down here.” He offered.  
“I might just take you up on that. Anyway, goodnight Peter. Please don’t wake me up at two o’clock AM again.”


	7. On a Wire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in 'Nam...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Malfunction.
> 
> Fun fact: Radar is one of my nicknames because the stars aligned so I ended up with a hat and circular glasses and look like Radar from M.A.S.H. when I wear them at the same time.

Athena had started spending her free time at Walter Manor. Five had been back from the Paris Convention of Technology for three days, and had been avoiding Athena like the plague. She supposed he was trying to skirt around any kind of awkward confrontation with her, now that she was growing closer to his son. It wasn't something she was doing on purpose, it just happened.   
The Walter men always seemed to gravitate toward her. She had a theory that it was the result of the blue matter that polluted their veins as yellow matter did hers. Blue and yellow matter almost always bonded with each other first before they bonded with anything else. That's why, when an asteroid with the matters struck the earth and created the moon, the yellow matter that had stuck to Earth and not the moon had almost immediately bonded with blue matter.  
While Athena’s grandfather was busy being a hero, he came across a chunk of yellow matter from another dimension, and it fused with him. He passed on yellow matter infused DNA to his children, who then passed it on to their children. It was a bit more complicated when giving the mutations to someone who wasn't born with them. It was a temporary fix for mortality, and could be continuously administered to keep the lifespan of a normal human infinite.   
Not all of Athena’s family were immortal. In fact, there are only three members that are immortal: Athena herself, Alex, and her grandfather. Athena’s younger sister, Minerva, just had a longer lifespan. Athena’s cousin also had a genetically longer lifespan, but his constant exposure to pure yellow matter, the kind of stuff you only find deep in space, had rendered him immortal for the time being.   
Now, it’s not just yellow matter that can bond with people. Under certain conditions, blue matter can bond with people and unlike yellow matter, it can bond to things. It’s what makes green matter so volatile. When Thaddeus Becile used green matter to power his copper elephants, the green matter bonded the copper machinery to the bodies and souls of the people operating them, creating one big mess.  
Blue matter typically only bonded when exploding, so Peter Six technically could be immortal. He could have any variety of powerful gifts, like shape-shifting or immunity to illness. It would be interesting to find out what kind of powers he might have, but that would prolong her stay here. She needed to leave as soon as she got what she was looking for.   
“Howdy, Miss Athena. I’ve brought you some coffee” The Spine said. Athena broke from her thoughts and smiled at him, taking the coffee mug from his silvery hands.   
Athena was here for him. The Spine was eerily familiar, and for some reason she couldn’t place why. Whenever she tried, her mind skipped like a scratched record over a blank space in her mind. It was infuriating, but there was nothing should could do about it.   
Those two missing years were tampered memories, meaning that they were altered, or for a lack of better word, deleted. Alex always shortened the story story of what happened to her to “You died, and it was bad.”   
What her death had to do with The Spine’s familiarity was a mystery. He didn’t appear to recognize her either, so maybe she was confusing him for someone else with green eyes that couldn’t hold a candle to every nebule in the galaxy.   
“Thank you, Spine. You really don’t have to be formal with me. You can just call me Adri-, er, Athena.” She said, moving her legs closer to her body so he could sit on the couch with her. They were currently in the third living room. The walls were lined with various books in various states of disrepair. The Spine smiled at her, and plucked a book off of the shelf above him.   
They sat in silence. Athena’s coffee was impeccably perfect, which was strange since even she sometimes messed up and accidentally put too much cinnamon in her-  
“Spine, how did you know I like cinnamon in my coffee?”She asked. The Spine looked up at her over his book, eyebrow cocked in a way that reminded her of… something.  
“You told me. You also told me you’re lactose intolerant, so I asked Chelsea to buy you dairy-free creamer.”  
Athena’s eyes knit together, and she looked confused.  
“I’m lactose intolerant? That explains a lot.” She said.  
It was The Spine’s turn to look confused.  
“I’m positive you told me… but now that I think about it, I suppose you didn’t.” He said. Athena shrugged.  
“Hey, I’m glad I know, mysterious circumstances or no. Thank you.” Athena said, laying her hand on The Spine’s arm. He smiled at her again.  
“No problem, Athena.”

* * *

A scream tore its way through Athena’s throat, and she bolted upright. Her foot connected with The Spine’s jaw, breaking it clean off and sending it flying out a window. He looked surprised, and if she hadn’t been absolutely terrified, she would be going to hell for laughing.   
Her hand flew to her mouth to stop her from screaming again. Her vision still swam with images of warfare and the screams of the dead echoing through her head. Every molecule of her body was screaming, and she felt as if she were back in that fucking jungle.  
The Spine’s voice cut through her thoughts like a knife, and she reached out for him. Her hand connected with warm fabric, and The Spine just kept whispering to her. His hand carefully wrapped around her wrist, and she pulled herself closer to him.   
“-With me. It’s not real, you’re safe.” She heard.  
She blinked the images away, and found herself shaking like a leaf. Green-tinged blood was dripping from her nose and onto the Spine’s vest, but she couldn’t find the will to do anything but cling to him.  
“Adrianne.”  
Her brother repeated the same mantra that The Spine was. She was safe. It was over.   
The war was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Spine: Hey Peter, my jaw went out the window. Can you go grab it before one of the squirrels do? Thanks.


	8. Endless Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short, but important.

“So I see you found the observatory.” Peter said. Athena didn’t move, but more tears rolled down her cheeks. She had disappeared after her flashback, and the house had been looking for her for an hour.  
Peter sat next to her and looked up at the cloudless sky. The sun had just set, and the stars above glittered. When Peter couldn’t figure something out, whether it be his own confusing human emotions or something with the bots, he came up here and waited for the stars to give him an answer. He figured Athena was doing the same thing.  
“I’m sorry for making your family panic. It’s not often that I have such awful flashbacks.”  
“Do you want to talk about it?” Peter asked. Athena inhaled and exhaled slowly, small gold particles filtering out of her nose.  
“I haven’t been honest with you, Peter. I’m not who you think I am.” She started. A few more tears fell from her face as she paused. She pulled the blanket around her tighter. Peter reached out to comfort her, but she shied away.  
“I’m not just some random girl that moved in. I’m here for a reason.” Athena said. Peter’s brows furrowed.  
“What reason?”  
“I’m missing two years of my memory, and I’m almost certain it has something to do with The Spine. My flashbacks come from those memories.”  
“So you’re here to find out what happened.” Peter stated.  
“Yes. I knew I would be safe to do this here, in close proximity to you all. I knew your father in the late seventies, before he married your mother. Forty years later I get my chance to come back. I meet with your father, move in, and you were here for the rest.” She said. She looked so small like this, not the happy, bubbly girl she usually was.  
Something wasn't right.  
“Did you fight in Vietnam?”  
“Yes.”  
Peter put his hand on hers, and she didn’t pull away. He had a feeling he knew who she was.  
“What’s your real name?” He asked softly. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, which had turned a softly glowing gold.  
“Adrianne Regina Marksley.”

* * *

The Spine hated this war. He hated the sound of guns. He hated the killing. He hated seeing young, innocent boys be murdered before his eyes. He hated how he and his brothers were forced to fight. He hated how the other GIs treated the locals.   
In a nutshell, The Spine wanted to go home. Especially now.  
Something exploded to his right, little pieces of shrapnel bouncing harmlessly off of his body. The blanket of night kept him hidden, but also kept the enemy hidden. It was really starting to get on his nerves.  
A body rolled across the dirt road towards him, and if he hand a soul, it would’ve died.  
“Hiya Mr. Spine! It sure is dark out here.” The kid said.   
Adrian must’ve been freshly 18. He was small and squirrely, but he was a better shot than most of the heroin junkies that he was surrounded by. That made him valuable.   
The Spine peeked through the tall grass, fired a few shots, and sighed.  
“Yes it is, Marksley. Shouldn’t you be helping right now?” The Spine asked. Adrian nodded, and took out two VCs.   
“So I know making conversation probably isn’t the smartest idea, but why are you hiding if you’re made of metal and can’t die?” Adrian asked.  
“Because- hold on,” The Spine killed another VC, “Because bullets ricochet and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”  
To prove his point, a bullet bounced off of his arm and hit the dirt by Adrian’s leg.  
“Huh, that’s cool. Where are you from?”  
“Er, San Diego.”  
“Nice, I’m from-” Adrian suddenly pulled The Spine over him as another RPG sent shrapnel flying.   
“Hey, thanks. I’m from New Mexico.” He finished. The Spine frowned at him.   
“Are you over here to use me as a shield?”  
“Yep!” Adrian popped the “p.”  
The Spine was a little offended, but also felt like he should protect this kid with his life. These newly-programmed emotions were confusing.   
Adrian took out a few more VC, and within half an hour they were cleared to start a head count.  
There were two dead, and five injured. Adrian being one of the injured due to a bullet to the leg he had gotten from the first rounds of fire. By the morning they were back at base, and Adrian had grown on The Spine. There was something in his eyes that made The Spine want to give him anything he wanted. It was strange.   
Adrian was strange.


	9. Wrapped in Cellophane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oof

“Hey Spine!” Rabbit said over the Wifi.   
“Yes, Rabbit?”  
“We’re gonna go meet the new neighbor! Wanna come with us?” Rabbit asked.  
The Spine sighed. Normally, he would accompany Rabbit on an outing, but he didn’t want to unplug himself from the hall of wires. The Walter family knew not to expect much of him on this day in particular. As much as he wanted to forget why, he couldn’t bring himself to delete those memories. They were painful and hung over him like Damocles’ sword, but he cherished all of the things that made the memories important.  
The memories of love.  
The anniversary of him losing the man he loved most was today, and on this day every year for the past few decades The Spine holed himself away in the Hall of Wires in an attempt to mourn. It was the only time he could.  
His family knew, of course. They didn’t know specifics, but they knew enough to leave him alone. Rabbit knew he would decline her offer, but asked anyway out of politeness.  
“No, but thank you, Rabbit.” The Spine replied.  
The wires curled around him tighter. Things had gotten worse since he had left with the rest of the band to defeat the Space Giant and save the Green Apple in the Sky. He had promised him that they would go to space together and see the Milky Way galaxy from far away, but The Spine made the trip alone. It hurt. From the realization that he was going to space to the sudden agony of not being able to take his love with him.   
The Spine sometimes wondered if his love was watching him somehow. He wondered if he ever made it to heaven. He wondered if he would ever join him, and how long his love would wait.   
Sometimes The Spine would consider cutting the waiting short, and just finding out for himself if he had a soul. If he could die. Most times he got lucky, and Rabbit would find him before he could do anything. Sometimes he would be able to snap himself out of it. Sometimes he’d have to blame a damn plot device for whatever damage he sustained.   
The Walters didn’t know how bad it was. They thought that The Spine was mourning his love like Rabbit mourned Pappy. He intended to keep it that way.   
“Would you like to make cookies for her?” Rabbit asked.   
The Spine didn’t remember emerging from the HoW and silently making the recipe that his love had rattled off one morning while they were watching the sun rise. He didn’t remember carefully writing his name on the label. He didn’t remember Rabbit walking him back to the HoW so that she knew he’d be safe. No, all he remembered was falling into sleep mode tightly coiled around the ring he had intended on giving his love.   
* * *  
“Ta-Da! Welcome to the T-T-Tower of Tacos!” Rabbit announced. The Spine looked up from his army of paper napkin swans and watched as his sister shoved a young woman through the doorway. Her eyes were wide as she looked up the mounds of tacos.   
“Whoa. Are there soft tacos here too? I have sensitive gums.” She asked. Her voice sounded like honey, and a shiver went through The Spine. Her eyes were the most gorgeous color of gold that they didn’t seem real.   
“No! Soft tacos are OBVIOUSLY burritos who feel left out!” Zero said. He mocked offense, but couldn’t keep himself from smiling at her. When she smiled, The Spine wanted to smile. She made The Spine want to give her the world.  
“Do walking tacos count then or are they just salads?” Athena asked.  
“Now, Miss Trevor, don’t disrespect the walking taco. They belong here just like every other taco.” The Spine interjected. Her eyes flicked over his body, and after a second her entire demeanor changed from innocent wonder to suave flirtatiousness.  
“Ah, my mistake. You must be The Spine.” Athena said, curtsying. The Spine bowed and kissed the top of her hand, but when he did a spark of electricity passed between the two. The Spine internally kicked himself.  
“I am. This is Zer0, and you’ve already met Rabbit.” The Spine said, nodding to the two other bots who were deep in discussion about whether socks were more practical than foot gloves.   
“I have,” Athena said, “And I’m very glad I did. I think if I had met all three of you in one day my head would roll off my shoulders and under a table.”  
The Spine frowned at the thought, but correctly decided it was a figure of speech and said nothing. Something about this girl Athena felt familiar, but he couldn’t place what.   
Rabbit pushed a taco over to Athena and rattled excitedly.   
“Eat! There’s an infinite amount of t-tacos!” She said. Athena made it through half a taco before Six swung his head around the doorframe.  
“Oh, there you are Athena! I wondered where Rabbit could’ve put you!”   
Athena’s eyes seemed to glow as she looked at Six. It took The Spine less than 0.2 seconds to realize her eyes were, in fact, glowing and 0.5 seconds to realize why she seemed familiar.  
Adrian’s eyes glowed like that whenever The Spine told him he loved him.


	10. Electric Stare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title from I'll Rust With You

The Spine sat with Six while he worked on the lion. He was getting quite frustrated with it, and would occasionally asked The Spine to grab something from the workbenches around him. Neither of them knew where to start with the hint Athena gave. There was no way to contain the purple matter, and since Six insisted he follow Athena’s suggestion, he was left looking for a way to harness the matter’s power.  
He had asked his father, who had forgotten the automaton was down there, and came up with nothing. He searched through the journals of the Peters that had come before him, and found nothing. The Spine suggested he ask Athena for assistance, but Peter just shook his head.   
Around midnight The Spine retired to the HoW, repeating his suggestion to the human.  
The Spine found himself thinking of Athena often, and this night was no exception. He rationalized that Athena must’ve been related to Adrian somehow. Maybe she was his niece. He did say he had a twin brother, Alex. Or maybe she was a cousin. Whatever she was, there were too many similarities between the two for it to just be coincidence. If Adrian had been a girl, The Spine figured he and Athena would’ve looked identical.   
And it wasn't the Athena that everyone else saw. No, it was the Athena that only appeared when nobody else was looking. It was the dark-haired beauty that could only be seen in the reflection of a table or a puddle. It was the fire that burned in her eyes when she first laid eyes on Marshmallow and buried herself in the cat’s fur. It was the unmatched anguish that sat behind her eyes, and the unbridled rage that powered her snarl when people looked at the bots weirdly.   
If The Spine didn’t know any better, he would’ve considered the possibility of her being Adrian himself.  
He had disconnected his head from his body and was safely nestled among the wires when the first tears started flowing. Oil dripped onto the ground below, falling through the cracks in the floor and into nothingness. Athena opened his wounds and left him bare every time they spoke. It was hell.  
The door to the Hall of Wires opened quietly. Silent footsteps resonated through the metal floor and through the wires.   
“Psst, Spine! I’m having a crisis and I have questions!” A voice called out below. The Spine considered pretending he was not there or in stasis, but his moral compass won and he glanced down reluctantly.  
Athena was looking up at him, her blue eyes flashing gold as she took in his oil streaked face. The wires lowered The Spine, but kept him suspended. Athena’s eyes followed him.   
“A question for a question, Miss Trevor.” The Spine said. There was hardly any emotion in his voice, and if there was it was exhaustion. Athena took a deep breath and pulled a tissue out of her pocket.  
“Hold still.” She murmured. She looped her fingers under the metal plating of his jaw, keeping his head in place as she wiped away the oil tears. Her touch somehow burned The Spine, but he kept perfectly still until she drew away.  
“A question for a question? I can manage that, but can you?” She said. It was a challenge, but her voice was incredibly gentle.   
“Of course. What did you want to know?” The Spine asked.  
“Well, Peter and I almost kissed and I like him but there’s this nagging feeling that’s telling me to not do that and I don’t know why.” She stated. The Spine frowned.  
“Maybe it’s because you haven’t made any real connections to him due to him masking his face, which is an important aspect of attraction in humans.” The Spine suggested. It was the issue all of Six’s other partners had after the accident.  
“No, it’s certainly not that.” Athena said, biting her lip.  
“How would you know?”   
“Because I’ve seen his void and it’s hella awesome.” She stated, momentarily forgetting she was talking to The Spine and not her brother. The Spine still thought of her as completely human.   
“You’ve seen his face?” He whispered. Disbelief wrought its way onto his face. Athena’s eyes widened as she backpedaled.   
“Shit. Right. I have some cool abilities and one of them allows me to see certain matter-related anomalies despite how well they are hidden.” Her eyes flashed gold again.  
“I see. Well it could be because he is distant, as most Walter men are.”  
“Possibly,” Athena said, “But you’ve asked me two questions already so it’s my turn.”   
The Spine frowned, not appreciating that she manipulated the conversation in a way that would give her the upper hand. It didn’t look intentional, though.  
“Fine. Ask away.”  
“First thing’s first, what the fuck, dude. There’s a snake in my hall!” She said, bursting into a fit of giggles as she said the last bit. The Spine frowned again. He was doing a lot of frowning.  
“I was just built that way. It’s like asking why you have gold eyes.”  
Athena took a step back.  
“That's a bit freaky. You’re not supposed to be able to do that.”  
“See your eyes?”  
“See that they’re gold.”  
“Well, they’re not always gold. Right now they are green.” The Spine explained.   
“Weird. Why were you crying?” She said, changing the subject. The Spine visibly winced, and the wires wound themselves tighter as he recoiled into them. Athena’s eyes widened and she stepped forward.  
“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have asked but please don’t leave!” She cried. Her words cut deeply into The Spine’s brain, and the wires suddenly stopped.   
“I lost someone. I can’t forget.” He said quietly. Understanding flooded Athena’s eyes.  
“Immortality is a bitch, isn’t it? You bots are lucky though, you get the choice of forgetting.” Athena reached for the base of her skull, subconsciously tracing a scar.  
“What would you know of immortality, Miss Trevor?” The Spine asked. His voice was hollow. Athena’s own tears traced down her cheeks, falling through the cracks in the floor and into nothingness.   
“Enough for death to be more of a lover than a friend.” She said. Once she was certain no reply would be given, she left the Hall of Wires and only looked back once.


	11. Dragon's Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Steve for you.

Steve wasn't the best at keeping friends. He could make them just fine, but they were typically humans and they have a ridiculously short lifespan.  
The first time Steve made a friend that stayed was a kid by the name of Alex. Hee came from a big family, who was notoriously justice-driven. They’d make fine dragons if they weren’t human.  
They were known as the Marksley Clan. Their leader was the infamous Rex Marksley, who had apparently bonded with yellow matter. They were rising to be one of the most powerful families in the supernatural world.   
(They rose to #1 after Alex’s sister, Minnie, married the vampire queen.)  
Alex and Steve grew up together after Julian Marksley, Alex’s father, took out a dragon hunter and saved his parents. It was a shame when Alex was drafted into the war, and even worse when Alex’s twin, Adrianne, changed her appearance and followed her brother into the army. She went missing in action, and Alex never reunited with his family.  
That being said, Steve never expected to smell the oldest Marksley twin again. He goes to visit his family in South Carolina ONCE and Adrianne is suddenly resurrected. Steve leaned against a doorframe and took a deep breath. The scent was unmistakable.  
Steve stalked through the halls of Walter Manor, following her scent. A million questions buzzed in his head, like why? Why had she disappeared? Did she die? Steve heard that certain matters can bring people back from the dead (like Minnie’s wife, for example.)  
Steve stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. She was sitting in a tree beside the duck pond, staring at the clouds above. She was small, about a head shorter than Steve’s human form. Her hair was dark, and her skin was the color of sand, but her eyes were liquid gold.   
Steve didn’t realize he had climbed the tree until he was on the limb beside her. She glanced at him and smiled.  
“Hi Steve. It’s been a long time, Hasn’t it?” She greeted. Steve nodded, his eyes looking at everything but her.  
“Why?” He whispered.   
“Why what?”  
“Why didn’t you come back?”   
Adrianne sighed.  
“Because I was angry.” She answered. Steve furrowed his brows.  
“Why?”  
“That’s what I’m here to find out. I’m missing some of my memories.”  
“Are you a new Walter Worker, then?” He asked.  
“No, I met Five a few decades ago and established a connection. I’m biding my time until I fill in the blanks in my mind.” She said, tossing a few sticks into the pond.  
“Is Alex with you?”   
“Of course.”  
Steve stayed silent, watching her throw sticks at the shadows of fish in the pond with surprising accuracy. Alex most likely knew he was there, so why didn’t he come? Was he mad? Did Steve do something wrong?  
“C-C’mon guys! Dinner!” Rabbit called from the base of the tree.  
Adrianne moved to jump down and Steve put his hand on her shoulder.   
“Talk later?” He requested. Adrianne nodded and jumped, with Steve following after.

Adrianne loved Steve once. She loved his red eyes and his glittering scales. She loved the way he smelled like fire all the time and the heat coming off of his skin. He was so laid back for a dragon that sometimes she forgot he wasn't human when he was in his human skin.  
So much time was lost because of the war. Adrianne would never admit it, but it was because she loved Steve that she left. Her brother had no choice when he was drafted, and Adrianne would be damned if she didn’t bring Steve’s boyfriend back home.


	12. I'll Keep You Moving On...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I glued on some fake nails and they're long and impossible to write with.

Six slid through the halls silently. He left Athena… or was it Adrianne now, in her own home after she helped look for The Spine’s jaw. The poor girl was beyond exhausted, but her mind was sharp. She had held herself high, and had the occupants of the manor not known what had happened, it would’ve appeared that Athena was just more tired than usual.  
Peter walked into the Hall if Wires with The Spine’s jaw in hand, and the head of the bot descended from above.  
“Thank you for finding it, Peter.” The Spine said. It was weird seeing the bot talk without a jaw.   
“No problem. I wanted to talk to you about something though.” Peter said, pulling The Spine’s head into his lap and worked on re-attaching his jaw. The Spine’s brow curved inquisitively.  
“It’s about Athena. There’s something weird going on with her.”  
“I have found that the rationality of human females are quite elusive to the human male. Especially one that wishes to be the center of her affection.” The Spine offered.  
“What? Listen, I like her but I don’t think…. well I don’t think either of us swing that way.”   
The Spine nodded.  
“That’s gay.”   
Peter chuckled awkwardly.  
“Yeah, I suppose it is. I mean, I’m not- well it’s complicated.”  
“Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?” The Spine asked, retreating back into his body and sitting opposite of Peter now that his jaw was back in place.   
Peter took a deep breath.  
“No. She told me… well she’s from this family that is like ours, but instead of blue matter it’s yellow matter.”   
“Ah yes, the Marksley bunch.” The Spine said fondly. Peter nodded.  
“She said she was basically immortal.”   
“Some of them are.”  
Peter tilted his head.  
“How do you know about this?” He asked.  
“I knew a man back in Vietnam. He was a Marksley.” The Spine’s fond look turned sad and he absentmindedly picked at a chain around his neck.   
“Oh. Were you close?”  
“Very,” The Spine sighed and broke himself out of his thoughts, “So she’s one of the immortal ones?” He asked.  
“Yeah, but she said something weird a couple weeks ago. She said that our family was like hers in the way that we also are infused with matter.”  
“Yes, I suppose that makes sense.”  
“So do I get cool powers or what?” Peter asked. He tucked his legs under him as he settled in his chair. It was cold in the HoW. The Spine shrugged.  
“I don’t know. Your father can see despite not having any eyes, so it would make sense that you might have some sort of power.”  
“Well if I had a power, what do you think it would be?” Peter asked.   
“Have you tried flying?” The Spine suggested. Peter shook his head.  
“Why don’t you ask Athena? She obviously knows more than I do.”   
“I have a feeling she would just get all cryptic and refuse to answer.”  
The Spine hummed, but didn’t respond any further. He lifted himself farther into the wires, but stayed close for any other questions the youngest Walter had.  
“Hey Spine?” Peter called.  
“Yes?”  
“What was your Marksley like?”

* * *

The Spine and Adrian sat together under the stars for the last time that night.   
Neither of them knew it though, and that was the worst part. There was always a chance Adrian might be killed one of these days, but The Spine had made a mental promise to sacrifice himself before any harm came to his little human.   
Adrian had lost quite a bit of his squirelliness, and had grown into a beautiful young man. His eyes had been a constant gold for a few weeks now, and his skin had darkened even more under the Vietnam sun. Over the few months he and The Spine had known each other, The Spine had grown quite attached. I mean, with a boyfriend like Adrian, who wouldn’t be attached? The human was funny and cute and so very brave. His twin was a dragon-mate, and due to twin telepathy they knew where each other was at all times.   
“Y’know, incase one of us gets into a pickle. Or becomes a pickle. Or comes across a particularly large pickle that needs moved.” Adrian would say, his face getting more and more horrified with each word, as if moving a pickle was the worst possible situation he could find himself in.  
So there they sat, looking at meteors burn up in the atmosphere. Adrian’s wide eyes stared at the sky with hope, and The Spine’s optics stared at him with a strange feeling he didn’t quite have a name for. It was like love, that was certain, but it was different.   
The Spine moved his thumb across Adrian’s hand, drawing the human’s attention.  
“Can I ask you something, Adrian?”  
Adrian turned his head, and smiled.  
“Of course.”  
The Spine took a breath he didn’t need.   
“Would you marry me? I know that you’re only human and that you’ll die one day, but I’d happily remain with you until that day, and-” The Spine was cut off by a kiss, which was then interrupted by Adrian’s bubbling laughter.  
“Oh Spine, my beautiful Spine. You have no idea how far away my death is.” He said, holding The Spine’s face in his hands. The Spine looked confused.  
“I’m immortal,” Adrian whispered, “As long as I don’t get shot in the head or whatever, I’ll be fine.”  
The Spine looked at his fiance, completely stunned.   
“You mean… We have forever?”  
Adrian nodded. He reached into a pocket and pulled out an envelope. Inside of the envelope was a simple gold band. Adrian grabbed The Spine’s hand and slipped the ring onto The Spine’s finger.  
“Forever and a day.”


	13. ... Like a Soliton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's your villain. It took me 12 chapters to get here. Thinks should be more interesting from here as we get out bigger picture painted.

His cry of pain cut through the noise like a knife, and he fell to one knee as blood oozed from the other. Someone called his name, fear edging into their voice. He looked up and there they were, those haunting green eyes. Black lips cried out a warning, but a searing pain silenced his surroundings, and his vision turned white. He could vaguely feel arms wrap around him, feel for any kind of pulse.   
“You promised me forever.”  
Athena bolted upward, breathing heavily as her nightmare faded. She looked at the remainder of the red matter on her nightstand. It wouldn’t be enough to stop the blue matter from retaking her mind. She was running out of time.  
* * *

He stood out in the rain, waiting for that last piece to fall into place. It had taken decades of waiting, but everything was finally coming together. The fluttering of wings and the soft clicking of heels brought a smirk on to his face, and he turned around to look at his unknowing pawn.  
“Why have you called me here, Trap?” The woman asked.  
A woosh to the left of her brought the arrival of the other pawn. The man stepped into the light of the street lamp, joining Trap and the woman.   
“I’d be glad to answer your questions, now that both of you are here.” Trap spread his hands out. The man stepped forward.  
“You were right, her flashbacks are getting worse. I can’t predict them anymore, and I can’t get her to leave.”   
“If you had done as I said and kept everything from her, she’d be happily living in Hawaii drinking Shirley Temples by the beach. Now we’re on the brink of destruction and we need to act quickly before she destroys everything we’ve fought hard to protect.” Trap snapped at the man, making him recoil.  
“I still don’t see why I’m here. Do you waste my time, Trap?” The woman growled.  
“Of course not, my queen. When it comes to my queen’s sister in-law, I have utmost respect. I’ve formulated another plan, and it involves you, my beloved queen.” Trap cooed at the woman. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, but nodded for Trap to go on.  
“Adrianne is a danger to the world as we know it, and if she remembers what she has done to her precious Walters, she will fall into a fit of rage and kill everything in her path, including them. It is to my understanding that she will consume the whole Earth if not stopped fast enough. I need you, Queen Delilah, to keep watch over the Walter family. Can you do that?”  
Delilah nodded.  
“Alex, I need you to be prepared for the worst in case your sister flips and starts her rampage.”  
Alex’s face hardened, but he nodded.  
“I suspect I must not tell Minerva?” Delilah asked.  
“If you tell her, it could put the entire mission at stake. This is just between the three of us, got it?”  
Alex and Delilah murmured their confirmation. A sleek black car pulled up to the curb behind Trap.  
“Good. Keep me updated on any changes, yes?” Trap asked as he ducked into the car and disappearing into the night, leaving Alex and Delilah alone on the sidewalk.  
“So his plan is coming to a close.” Delilah stated.  
“Yeah. Tell Minnie I love her, won’t you Dee? Adrianne is a week or so away from figuring it out, so get the group to battlestations. Is Andromeda safe?”  
“Of course. I’m the ruler of the Vampric Empire, I can handle my beautiful niece.”  
“Good. The sharks were just the beginning, and I have a feeling we’re nearing the end.”  
“How’s that saying go? The vice does bite?”  
“Something like that.”

* * *

Athena looped through the living rooms with a feather duster in her hand. She hummed an old tune and dared to sing as loudly as possible while she cleaned. She had been cleaning the manor like clockwork every day for the past two weeks, breaking each day into a set of rooms. She seemed happy, and had even climbed up The Spine to reach a particularly high shelf. That being said, the entire house was on edge. The way Athena cleaned was robotic and inhuman, but no amount of prodding would get a less than cheerful reaction out of her.   
The Spine and Peter Six were helping her out through. All of the windows were open, letting in a cool autumn breeze despite San Diego’s closeness to the equator.   
“Spine, quit oogling.” Peter whispered to the automaton.  
“I have no idea what you mean.” The Spine whispered back, his eyes not leaving Athena.   
“I never thought she’d be your type. Do you have a thing for blondes?” Peter teased.   
“I do not have a type. Besides, her hair is black..”  
Peter looked confused.   
“Her hair is straight up gold.”   
“Peter. Are you alright? Athena is very Latin American.” The Spine said, tilting his head.  
“Wait, what color are her eyes?”  
“Gold, Peter.”  
“Spine,” Peter’s eyes widened under his mask, “Her eyes are blue.”  
The Spine gaped at Peter for a few seconds.  
“Oh my. It appears that I’m the only one who can actually see her.” He realized.  
Athena suddenly stopped singing and took a step back from the shelf she had been dusting. Her lips pulled themselves into a frown as she looked up at The Spine in confusion.  
“What day is it?” She asked.  
“Wednesday. Halloween.” Peter said.  
“Mother fucker! I’m gonna kill him!” She groaned  
“Who?” The Spine asked.  
Athena shook her head.  
“What have I been doing for the past two weeks?”  
“Cleaning.” Peter and The Spine said in unison. Athena groaned again.  
“Never make psychic links with people. You’ll wake up one day with a feather duster in your hand and no recollection of the past two weeks.” She said.  
The Spine and Peter looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between the two before The Spine led Athena to the couch.  
“Can you elaborate, love?” He said. The pet name was unexpected, and The Spine mentally kicked himself.  
“I can create telepathic connections with other people. One of those people I created a connection to has been quiet for a while, and the lagging messages and emotions finally broke through. My brain has been processing it over these past two weeks and it turned me into a numb dusting zombie.” She said.   
“Why the lag?”  
“Oh, he’s in deep space and across a few dimensional barriers. Also, he pissed me off so I blocked him.”  
“You blocked him. Like on a phone, but in your mind?”  
“Essentially.”  
Peter fiddled with the edge of his mask and hummed thoughtfully.  
“So you can only do it with people who have been touched by yellow matter?”  
“Peter,” The Spine warned, “She needs rest, not experimented on.”  
“I like experiments.” Athena pointed out. The Spine sighed.  
“Well, since yellow matter is bonded to you, can you only make links with those also bonded with yellow matter?”  
“Nope, but it makes it easier.”  
“Fascinating.” Peter said, pulling a pen out of a vest pocket and writing notes on his forearm.  
“My twin brother needs for the person to have yellow matter through. The damn weakling.” Athena swayed slightly, her eyelids drooping.  
A few beats of silenced passed before it was broken by Athena’s yawn. The Spine scooped her up in his arms as she fell towards him.   
“Peter, she’s willing to tell you everything. Can you find out how to contact her brother?” The Spine asked. Peter nodded.  
“Of course. Why?”  
“There’s only one set of Marksley twins, Peter. I need to talk to Alex.”


	14. High Above the Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween, kids! Enjoy chapter 14!

Rabbit knew.   
She knew the Marksley family and what they felt like. She knew that Alex was here. They had both known each other during the Vietnam war, and had been friends of sorts. He had grown up on the music of P. A. Walter’s Steam Man Band, and was quite a fan. A month or so in, Alex found out that his sister had somehow ended up in Vietnam and was fighting on the front lines.   
He had cracked then, telling Rabbit all about his older twin. How she wasn't quite right in the head and how she had issues with authority. She was intelligent, but emotional too. She was cold and calculating, but oh so loving.  
So yeah, Rabbit knew.  
Adrianne looked different than in the pictures. She was blond and taller and paler. It was her all the same. She had some of the mannerisms that Alex had, and if she wasn't paying attention her sentences would stop abruptly so her twin could finish. Of course, Alex wasn't there, so the thought would just hang in the air until Steve or Michael prodded her to finish.  
Rabbit knew.  
The Spine had been denying it since the first time he saw her in disguise. He had felt her, though. He had been off in his head when he made the cookies, and the recipe he used had been what tipped Rabbit off that she was here. He felt her, but didn’t know it.  
Rabbit knew.  
Girls didn’t fight in wars back then. Adrianne was a shapeshifter, and The Spine, when talking about her through their private radio waves during the war, said he.   
Rabbit knew.   
Adrian Marksley had died. He had been shot in the head, and The Spine’s core overheated with grief and exploded, killing every living thing within two miles.   
Rabbit knew.  
The Spine loved Adrian Marksley, and Rabbit would be damned if she didn’t get Adrianne to stay.  
* * *

“Alex Marksley, cocaine or meth?”  
“That was fast.”  
Alex drew the phone away from his ear and glanced at the caller ID.   
“Who’s this?”  
“I’m The Spine. I’d like to talk to you about… Athena.” The Spine hesitated. Is this a good idea?   
“Ah, shit. Where are you?”  
“Living room three.”  
The air around The Spine fizzed with golden light, and a man stepped out of the fizzy light.  
“I suppose we better just call her Adrianne.”

* * *

Delilah stood at the top of the skyscraper, letting the wind whip around her. There was a thunderstorm brewing on the horizon. Delilah looked up at the sky, and watched as one by one all of the stars turned green and faded. The storm was taking shape. He was coming.  
“Commander Cosmo save us, It’ll never be the same. The star streak of justice flies, just call the commander’s name” She sang softly as the clouds bubbled angrily. Every night she had this dream, and every night she sang. She knew he was listening, but she didn’t care. As long as the message got where it needed to go, the Necronaut could be taken care of. Until then, she just had to let him keep winning.  
“Commander Cosmo, save us. Save us from the end. What will we do when the cosmos quake and the gods above descend?” She asked the fading stars.   
Hurry Peter.

* * *  
Hurry Peter.  
Cosmo’s head shot up from the circuit board he was trying to fix. He had that damn theme song stuck in his head for days, but there was nothing he could do. Space Militia 10 had so many laws and codes that he couldn’t break, and it slowed down progress on finding the Necronaut.   
He knew it was heading for Earth, but so far they hadn’t heard or seen it since they captured Cosmica. Rav was the only one who actually tried to get Cosmo to just go to Earth Prime and wait.   
“Oh, you know that’s not true.” Queenie slunk out from the shadows and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.   
“Go away, Queenie.” Cosmo said, not looking at her.   
“Now Peter, don’t be like that. You know you should just trust me and Rav. I’m here to convince you, since I’m the only one here who can knock some sense into you these days.” She cooed into his ear.  
Ignore her and she’ll go away.  
“You’re not actually here, Queenie. I shouldn’t listen to you.”  
“Our daughter is on that planet.”  
Cosmo froze, and when he looked up to face Queenie she was gone. A knock at the door drew his eyes away from the place she had been standing.  
“Cos? You okay? The psychic connection fizzled out again.” Rav said. He opened the door and sighed. Cosmo had been awake for almost a week straight, and Rav knew that when his mental barriers were weakened he’d see and here her.   
“She was here again, Rav.”  
“I know sweetheart.” Rav said as he led Cosmo to his bed.  
“My daughter is down there, Rav.”  
“I know, sweetheart.” Rav pulled the blankets over Cosmo and kissed his temple.  
“I can’t just let her die.”  
“I have plans to leave as soon as you get some rest. I’ve never followed the law, and I’m not going to start now.” Rav assured his boyfriend. Cosmo went out like a light, and Rav dragged his fingers slightly over Cosmo’s skin. He watched the nebulae follow his fingers and turn gold under his touch.  
Save us…


	15. Turpentine, Erase me Whole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End?

This room was The Spine’s. The residents of Walter Manor knew not to enter, despite never actually seeing The Spine use this room for anything.   
Except once.  
And he emerged with the lyrics to Photographic Memories.  
Now, as he led a strange man through the halls, they saw him enter the room again.   
The Spine opened the curtains to let light in, which kicked up a few years worth of dust. There were small scraps of metal scattered on the desk, which The Spine carefully put into a small box. There were pictures hanging all over the room, and while the places changed, the faces were the same.   
There was a king sized bed in the corner of the room, and the blankets were a beautiful blue color, like the sky and the sea at the same time.   
“This was meant to be his room.” The Spine whispered, as if afraid that his voice would move the dust to uncover something horrible.  
Alex carefully touched the edges of the pictures. Adrianne was in all of them, but she was different. Happier. If anyone was going to be happy in the midst of war, it would be her.  
Or him.  
“I had it all planned out before… and I needed somewhere to feel close to him.”  
“Adrianne would love it. Where is she?”  
The Spine nodded out the window.  
“She’s in Walter Cemetery. It looks like she’s talking to Peter IV.”  
Alex put his hand on The Spine’s shoulder.  
“If I were you, I’d bring her here. Tell her.” Alex said.   
“Where are you going?” The Spine asked as Alex turned to leave.  
“I’m about to make a certain dragon very happy.”  
The Spine looked around the room. The wallpaper was peeling in some places. The windows had the first inklings of frost forming on them.   
Adrianne was down below, still talking to the grave of Peter IV. She was getting very animated as she rambled. Peter had mentioned she knew Commander Walter, only for a bit. The way Six told it, she had physically felt him die.   
The Spine opened the window gently, and tried to pick up her voice.  
“-And that’s why Labyrinth as a perfect example of how awesome David Bowie is. Seriously, I don’t get what you have against him, and I’m starting to think you were just trying to get a rise out of me.”  
Adrianne sighed and looked into her hands.  
“We need you. I need you. Rabbit says that the dead can hear you when you talk to them, and since it’s Dia de los Muertos, I hope I’m getting through. After all, death is just another dimension, so why shouldn’t we be able to talk between other dimensions.  
“I don’t know how far away you are, but please. You and I both know what we saw wasn't the end. He’s coming.”  
Adrianne stretched out her fingers, and The Spine watched as green matter passed between them.   
“I’ve already fallen by his hand. How many more?”  
Her hands dropped and she stood. The Spine watched her walk over to the duck pond and pick up a duck. The duck quacked happily as she pet it’s head, despite the fact that it was a duck and ducks can be vicious.  
Adrian didn’t change a bit.

* * *  
Adrianne had been info-dumped. Commander Cosmo, A.K.A Peter Walter IV, had finally gotten sixteen years worth of information through the dimensional barriers.   
It hurt.  
So she did what she knew best, and talked.   
She was scared. She wanted to curl up in her abuelo’s arms and cry. She wanted to be held by her precious Commander Cosmo. She wanted…   
“Miss Athena?”   
“Yes Spine?”  
“I wanted to talk to you.”  
Adrianne fiddled with the ring that hung on a chain around her neck. The Spine led her up the stairs, a few halls to the right, and twelve rooms to the left. The room was dusty, but obviously important. There was so much detail put into the wallpaper. On all four walls and the ceiling there were stars. It was a perfect replica of the night sky.   
But it wasn't the San Diego sky. Adrianne traced her fingers over the stars, over Andromeda, over Leo. Until she found the date, and realization hit her.  
“This is it. The night before I died.”  
The Spine nodded.  
“You always wanted to have the stars in your room. They glow in the dark.”   
Adrianne giggled, but it turned into a soft sob.  
“That’s me.” She stated as she pointed to the pictures, “I’m beautiful.”   
She turned and looked at The Spine. She could see the sad happiness in his photoreceptors. Whoever said automatons couldn’t feel was wrong.  
“Spine, I don’t remember you.” She choked out. The Spine nodded.  
“I know. You deserved to know what you were missing.”  
“I’m so sorry.”  
The Spine crossed the room in on step and held her shoulders.  
“No, don’t ever be sorry. This is not your fault. You cannot blame yourself.” He said, staring into her golden eyes.   
All at once he could feel his heart break. No, he could feel her heart break.   
She fished her ring out from under The Spine’s shirt ripped it off of the chain. She grabbed his hand frantically and put the ring on his finger, rambling in spanish.   
The Spine just stood there. Listening as she told him that the ring belonged to her abuelo, her grandfather. She brought out the ring he had given to her the morning she died.She kept going, telling The Spine that she had worn it into space, and that she cried constantly when she was travelling the stars. Her cousin, Ravaxis, had offered to take her with him, and she gladly went.  
“I was like a damn Doctor Who companion.” She laughed through her tears.   
She had been up there for centuries.  
Never ageing. Never changing. Never growing. Never dying.  
Never remembering.  
She had fallen in love up there. She had married. Gotten pregnant.  
But she came back, just two days after she left.  
She had fallen apart after being dumped on Earth. Her life became a search for her missing memories.  
The Spine just sat there on the bed with his arms wrapped tightly around Adrianne. She talked of a war. One that was from the stars.   
Something called a Necronaut was coming. He had sent the Sky Sharks and had been the one…  
He had been the one to kill Adrian.   
“The Necronaut has been controlling the world’s most powerful families since day one. He started with the Beceils, then he started picking at the Marksleys bit by bit. Now he’s got the corpse of Peter IV in his grip. We’re running out of time.”  
“He’s got Four?”  
“Yeah, but he’s from a different dimension so we’ve got the upper hand there.”  
“Oh.”  
Adrianne sniffled and buried her head into The Spine’s chest. She listened to his insides whirr and buzz. The pulsing of his core was like a heartbeat.   
There was a knock at the door, and Rabbit poked her head in.  
“H-Hey guys! I know this is a bad time but Steve just grabbed Alex Marksley and flew away.”  
“I’ll explain it later, okay Rabbit? They’ll be back in a week.” Adrianne said. Rabbit nodded, gave The Spine a look, and left.   
The Spine took a breath he didn’t need and held the ring he had given Adrian.   
“Your fingers are smaller now, so I don’t think it’ll fit.” He murmured. She hummed in discontent.. There was a loud snapping of bones and suddenly Adrianne was taller. Broader shouldered.   
Male.   
He slipped the ring on his finger and smiled wistfully.  
“Two hundred and fifty years since I last knew you.” He said. The Spine pressed a kiss to Adrian’s temple.  
“I know I’m not whoever you married out in space, but I hope I can make you happy like he must’ve.” The Spine tilted his head. “Is he dead?  
Adrian laughed.  
“No, he’s still up there. And no matter what, he’ll always be my Starman. Sadly my Starman is a bitch-ass punk.” Adrian wormed his way out of The Spine’s arms and went to the window.  
“MY HUSBAND IS A BITCH-ASS PUNK WHO’S TOO GAY TO FUNCTION!” Adrian screeched at the sky.  
The Spine shook his head disapprovingly.  
“You probably startled Norman. He’s raking the leaves today.”  
“Whoops.”  
The Spine gestured to Adrian.  
“Are you going to remain like that?” He asked. Adrian shook his head.  
“No. But honestly I’m loving this. It feels right.” Adrian said.   
“Thank goodness you always wear clothes a few sizes too big for you.”  
Adrian clicked his tongue flirtatiously. “I wouldn’t mind skinny jeans. Maybe leather ones.”  
The Spine smiled at him softly.   
“I think you’d look wonderful in leather.”   
Adrian’s smile dropped and he held the Spine’s face in his hands.  
“I may not remember you, but I’m not letting you go. I think we’re meant to be.”  
“What do you mean?” The Spine asked.   
“I think I’m destined to stay.”

* * *

The Necronaut screamed in rage as he decimated the first sombrero galaxy he came across. She wasn't supposed to know. She wasn't supposed to be told. Now he’d need to speed up his plans to do what he needed to.   
“Trap.”  
“Yes, sir?”  
“Adrianne knows, but she doesn’t yet remember. You need to kill her before she does.”  
“But sir,-”  
“Go!”  
The Necronaut snuffed the light from every star in the galaxy, leaving nothing but death in his wake. Trap was beginning to question him. That was bad. He needed something to secure the vampire’s loyalty. Shooting Adrianne wasn't enough. She was supposed to die then, but that damn automaton just had to go supernova and fill her with the blue matter she needed to stitch herself back together.   
The Necronaut smiled. Of course! That automaton was the reason his plan was failing! He needed him out of the way. Permanently.  
“Trap, darling.”  
“Sir?”  
“I have a better target for you.”


End file.
